Kill the skinny halfling!

[qstor]

How about cannibal halflings a' la Dark Sun ha

Mike

 

[FireLance]

I tend to go for skinny halflings since I'm on a diet, and usually a Grande, although I might have a Venti if I've got the time, or a Tall if I'm in a rush. Or should that be usually a Stout, and a Tallfellow if I'm in a rush?

 

[Sunseeker]

I really don't care what the book says X race looks like. I'm gonna design my character to look how I want(within reason). Fat Hobbits don't really make for good adventurers, so portraying Halflings in a Hobbit-esque style of "small fat people" probably isn't going to work out so well. Dwarves have a lot of muscle under that beer belly.

 

[Incenjucar]

I say merge the halflings with the shardminds.

Short, tubby barefoot pink crystals inhaling magic dust whenever they aren't absorbing chunks of rock.

--

Really, just give people options. No need to stereotype fantasy races. Heck, half-orcs get more varied portrayals than halflings in most editions.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

There's room for all: hairfoot, tallfellow, and stout!

 

[tlantl]

I like the mini barbarians from faerun, the ghostwise halflings.

 

[trancejeremy]

People go on and on about falling damage and what do hit points mean, but to me, the existence of adventuring hobbits bothers me. Or them fighting effectively does.

They just don't have enough mass to be effective in a fight against anything but similarly sized opponents. Either in terms of taking damage or dealing it.

I mean, look at fighting sports - they have weight classes, because a heavier guy would just pound the heck out of the little guy. And the littlest guys are probably twice the size of a hobbit.

I'd like to see Halfings just appear to look smaller than they really are, actually be 4'10" to 5' and maybe 150 lbs, while Dwarves are like 5'6" and 240 (built like a linebacker) and gnomes somewhere in between.

 

[Mercule]

Thin halfings are kenders... Personally I say kick the halfings and bring back the gnomes! Viva le revolucion!!!

I can't XP you again, but this is exactly my feelings.

The halflings are probably the most boring race in D&D. Tolkien hobbits were pretty much specifically designed to be the most bland, boring, vanilla race -- so anti-adventure that Uncle Owen was a daredevil, in comparison. You can Hin all you want, but you still don't really have anything that isn't borrowed from somewhere else or just fairly lame. They're like short humans... but shorter and that makes them sneaky, just like the cunning kobolds, the deceptive gnomes, and the violent goblins. You can spice them up by making them favor waterways or ride dinosaurs, but they're still pretty bland. Or, you can make them all crazy and call them kender.

If you don't want to go for goblins or kobolds as PCs (and I'm with you, there), then just use gnomes. They aren't exactly thrilling, but they have something resembling a personality. Short, hippy tricksters with a violent streak is a lot more interesting than watching short paint dry or a race of juvenile delinquents.

I will grant you, though, that kender are a lot more interesting than tinker gnomes. Whoever decided gnomes should be associated with tech, especially insane tech, should be scourged.

 

[Sunseeker]

If you don't want to go for goblins or kobolds as PCs (and I'm with you, there), then just use gnomes. They aren't exactly thrilling, but they have something resembling a personality. Short, hippy tricksters with a violent streak is a lot more interesting than watching short paint dry or a race of juvenile delinquents.

Word, lets get those gnomes in here to replace those little guys who never would really leave home.

 

[Savage Wombat]

Have you forgotten that the Hobbit movies are coming out? Halflings are going to need to be "like in the movie" halflings. Otherwise you miss the free advertising. For that matter, make sure your dwarves fit the movie too, even if they do look like English vampires.